» Ancient Game Of Keno

Keno, a game similar to the big state or provincial lotteries, is easy to play and one of the most popular games in any casino. Keno appeared in China in 187 BC. Still the origins of the game are really a bit of a mystery. Several different versions exist.
According to one assumption the game was invented during a war in China in order to supply the army with money. The citizens refused to contribute additional funds to the fruitless cause of the war. So Cheung was left scratching his head as to how to generate the necessary finances to continue his brutal battles. At last he managed to create a very easy and effective means of getting money. That was the game of keno. The game was a success and it is cited as a major reason for the victory of Cheung's forces. The Great Wall was also built with the help of the money that gave keno! The game soon became known as the White Pigeon game, since carrier pigeons were used to inform surrounding towns and villages of the winning numbers.
The keno boards of the past consisted of the Chinese characters but not of the numbers. If at first the game included 120 characters, this number dropped to 80 in the course of time.
The game arrived in the US in the mid 1800's when thousands of Chinese immigrants came to work in the mines and on the railroad. The fact that gambling games were forbidden didn't prevent the Chinese from playing and spreading it all over the States. It continued to use Chinese characters and thus obviously didn't enter popular mainstream American culture until it was modified to include the numerical system.